2 Irish Pub Perspectives

Once, with music by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

opened on Broadway in 2012...

a minimal set, cast members who doubled as instrumentalists,

and a working bar,

at least at intermission!

 Based on the movie of the same name (released in 2007),

it won 8 Tonys, including Best Book and Best Musical,

3 Drama Desk Awards,

and a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.

 Leading players,

Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti,

below.

 Kazee, above with guitar,

Cristin at the piano,

and other actors cum orchestra,

playing the wonderful Irish-y, fiddle-y score! 

 In 1959,

the Irish musical on Broadway was

Juno,

based on the Sean O'Casey play,

Juno and the Paycock.

1920's Ireland, the Irish Civil War,

and a working class family in Dublin.

The score was a mix of light and airy character songs,

betrayal, alcoholism, murder and keening. 

Melvyn Douglas, above as the Paycock,

Captain Boyle, 

below the recording of the cast album

(back in the day, EVERY Broadway show got to record an cast album,

even those lasting only 16 performances!)

and below that,

Shirley Booth as Juno.

 

 It opened in March, it closed in March.

Only 16 performances!

The critics and audiences evidently felt the story

was too dark for a musical...

 It wouldn't be today.

Marc Blitzstein

the composer/lyricist of Juno,

and The Cradle Will Rock. 

He studied at The Curtis Institute, 

in Paris with Nadia Boulanger,

and in Berlin with Arnold Schoenberg...

wrote many orchestral works,

and adapted, translated, directed and/or contributed to

dozens of musicals.

He was murdered at the age of 58,

in Martinque.